Reading teen brings home gold medal from Transplant Olympics

The Olympics are still underway in London, but here in Michigan, a set of games just wrapped up.

The 2012 Transplant Olympics took place in Grand Rapids the last weekend in July, when local Reading teen and kidney transplant survivor, Laiken Davis, brought home a gold medal in golf.

Nancy Hastings, Staff Writer

The Olympics are still underway in London, but here in Michigan, a set of games just wrapped up.
The 2012 Transplant Olympics took place in Grand Rapids the last weekend in July, when local Reading teen and kidney transplant survivor, Laiken Davis, brought home a gold medal in golf.
Davis, 15, said he couldn’t quit smiling while competing for the medal.
“I was excited to leave town and go somewhere new,” he said.
His story begins eight years ago when it was suggested by a Hillsdale doctor that he have his kidneys checked.
“He was always dehydrated and tired,” said his mother, Heather Davis.
A kidney donation by his father, Paul, was his saving grace, making it possible for Laiken to grow up like a normal teen, though contact sports are out of the question.
“He can’t play football, which is what he really likes,” Heather Davis said. “But, he has taken up wrestling and that seems to be something he enjoys.”